Alrighty then, let’s bring you all up to speed.
Went to Enniskillen – a fun show that’s usually got a couple of fantastic guests (and the usual hangers on, like me) Alan Davis, Mike McMahon and Cam Kennedy were all there, and in great form. Picked up a Dredd sketch off Mike, a page from Alan Davis and a Cam Kennedy sketch book (I wish I had the budget to buy one of Cam’s extraordinary colour pages he had with him, just amazingly beautiful stuff). Getting an Alan Davis page is a bit of a thrill, as I’ve been a huge fan of his since I was a kid – from Harry 20 on the Highrock onwards.
I’ve been rearranging my studio to make room for a modest drawing desk so I can do some pen and ink stuff once again (because I do miss paper)
A couple of weeks ago, I decided I’d quite like to do a ‘zine. If for no other reason than I want to pour a little bit of energy into a pointless endeavour. It’s called VHS, and the aim is to take one film and make a ‘zine around it, as if I just saw it for the first time and it fired up my imagination just like it would’ve done when I was 12 years old. Partly it’s just an excuse to draw something without worrying about whether it’s any good, and partly because something I quite miss from childhood is that run up to seeing an exciting movie and being obsessed with it for ages. The excitement of seeing, for example, Clash of the Titans, the summer waiting for it and then it coming out (in the same year as Indiana Jones, but it’s Clash I remember because I was obsessed with Harryhousen movies) and then thinking about nothing but it for months until a different movie came out. Now, I find myself seeing a trailer and thinking “oh yeah, I’d quite like to see that” and then blinking and it’s 15 years later and the movie has long been on streaming platforms and I just can’t find the time to watch ‘em.
The other point, I think, is to be able to sit in the world of the movie a bit longer than just the couple of hours it takes to watch it. To explore the language and design work of a film, and just play with whatever ideas it inspires.
Anyway, noble goals. Part of me wishes I had the time/patience to do it, and part of me thinks “nope, this is going no where”
But I throw the idea out to you, gentle reader – I think it’s a really good way to think about watching a film, and pulling all the deliciousness of it out from the celluloid and into the grey cells.
Finally, my webserver has given me notice of eviction (well, they’re closing and told me I need to find a new host). Maybe time to rethink how online I want my presence. I’ve been paying for websites for two decades and I know over that time I’ve had a number of people who’ve enjoyed my nonsense, but I’m feeling more and more like the old timer who decides to withdraw from the city and live in the woods with a bear.
Look, to reassure you, I will be finding a new home. I’m just not sure if I should start from blank or not.
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